NHL Hockey Player News

Recently returned from a four-week absence due to a lower-body injury, it was widely believed that the Canucks might ease the injury-prone Demko back into the crease, but he will tend the twine for a fourth straight game on Friday. The Canucks played poorly in Demko's absence, so it has been difficult for them to part with his services, given his excellent 1.35 GAA and .938 SV% in three games (2-1-0) since returning. He is coming off his first shutout of the season, a 23-save performance in a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers.

Oettinger has lost two straight contests (0-2-0), allowing six goals on 52 combined shots (.885 SV%), and will return to the crease on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. He has a 2.54 GAA and .907 SV% in 22 games this season (14-6-2). The American goalie is celebrating his 27th birthday on Thursday and hopes to do so with a win against a Sharks team he helped defeat 4-1 two weeks ago. The Stars enter the game as sizable -193 road favorites.

Oettinger has lost two straight contests (0-2-0), allowing six goals on 52 combined shots (.885 SV%), and will return to the crease on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. The American goalie has a 2.54 GAA and .907 SV% in 22 games this season (14-6-2). Oettinger hopes to celebrate his 27th birthday on Thursday with a win against a Sharks team they defeated 4-1 two weeks ago. The Stars enter the game as sizeable -193 road favorites.

Skinner was a healthy scratch numerous times with the Oilers last season and he hoped for more playing time with the up-and-coming Sharks this season, but seen more of the same, returning to the sidelines as a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. The 33-year-old Skinner has seven points (4G / 3A) in 22 games this season.

Dellandra is battling an upper-body injury, but will power through to play against his former team, the Dallas Stars. The 25-year-old bottom-six forward is averaging 14:52 time-on-ice and has 10 points (2G / 8A) in 34 games this season.

The Sharks have won three straight, and four of their last five (4-1-0), and will turn to Nedeljkovic to tend the twine on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. The 29-year-old Nedeljkovic was solid in his most recent outing, saving 28 of 30 shots (.933 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has been serviceable in a supporting role for the Sharks this season, posting a 2.50 GAA and .907 SV% in his last 13 games (5-7-1). The Sharks enter Thursday's contest as +169 home underdogs against a Stars team that defeated them 4-1 two weeks ago.

Bean has not played since suffering an injury on December 6th and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future after undergoing surgery. The 27-year-old Bean has two points (1G / 1A) and is averaging 15:57 time-on-ice in 16 games this season.

Othmann has only played one game with the Rangers this season and will draw back into the lineup for the first time since October 26th. He has 10 points (4G / 6A) in 19 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The Rangers are amazingly coming off being shutout for the seventh time in 17 home games (4-10-3), but return to the road, where they have thrived this season (12-5-1). Shesterkin has allowed three or more goals in four straight games (1-2-1), posting a 3.30 GAA and .881 SV%, and hopes to return to the elite form that justified him becoming the highest-paid goalie in NHL history. The 29-year-old Shesterkin has a 2.55 GAA and .908 SV% in 27 games this season (13-11-3). The Rangers enter Thursday's contest as -131 road favorites against a Blue team that played last night, defeating the Winnipeg Jets 1-0.

Levshunov was a healthy scratch in Chicago's most recent game, resulting from a coach's decision after being late for a team meeting. He returns to the lineup on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Strong play from Levshunov rewarded him with overtaking a role on Chicago's top powerplay unit, but he has cooled down lately. He has 14 points (1G / 13A) in 31 games this season, but has only one assist in his last seven games

After an uncharacteristically slow start to the season, with seven points (2G / 5A) in his first 14 games, Panarin has returned to his elite point-producing form in recent weeks, with 27 points (9G / 18A) in his last 21 games. Given the Rangers' struggles on home ice, Panarin has been especially productive on the road this season, including scoring 18 points (5G / 13A) in his last 10 road games. The Rangers have been running a five-forward top powerplay unit lately, but experimented with Scott Morrow on the point with Panarin absent from practice on Thursday.

Wolf was seemingly turning a corner, with a tremendous 1.45 GAA and .940 SV% in his last five games (4-1-0), his winningest stretch of the season, before allowing five goals on 25 shots (.800 SV%) in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks. The 24-year-old Wolf has a 2.96 GAA and .896 SV% in 26 games this season (10-13-2). Still, the Flames enter Thursday's contest as -164 home favorites against a Seattle Kraken team that has failed to score more than three goals in 12 of their last 13 games (3-9-1).

Stuart Skinner struggled in his Penguins' debut, a 6-4 loss to his former team, the Edmonton Oilers, and as such, they will turn to Silovs on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. Silovs has been inconsistent between the pipes for the Penguins this season, posting a 3.20 GAA and .890 SV% in 14 games (4-4-6). The 24-year-old Latvian goalie has lost six straight decisions (0-2-4) while posting a 3.35 GAA and .850 SV%. The Penguins enter Thursday's game as +146 road underdogs against a Senators team that has scored three or fewer goals in five of their last six games (2-4-0).

Boqvist has only played once in the last three weeks, but will return to the lineup on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks. The 25-year-old Boqvist is averaging 12:41 time-on-ice and has one assist in 11 games this season.

The Islanders fell to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, with Sorokin allowing three unanswered goals on 21 shots (.857 SV%) in a 3-2 loss. Despite his most recent effort, Sorokin has been solid between the pipes for the Islanders, posting a 2.05 GAA and .930 SV% in his last 14 games (9-5-0). Sorokin and the Islanders will match up against a Vancouver Canucks team that has surprisingly outscored their opposition 5-1 in two games (2-0-0) since trading away their captain, Quinn Hughes.

Fabbri signed a PTO with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) two weeks ago and immediately drew into the Blues' lineup after signing a one-year, two-way contract. The 29-year-old Fabbri has played well in his return to the NHL, including first-line deployment, and has scored two points (0G / 2A) in four games. Matt Luff will draw into the lineup as Fabbri's replacement.

Robby Fabbri will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the New York Rangers, allowing Luff to re-enter the lineup. The 28-year-old Luff recently made his season debut and is averaging 9:35 time-on-ice, scoring one goal through four games this season.

Matthew Kessel will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the New York Rangers, allowing Tucker to re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old Tucker is averaging 13:09 time-on-ice and has five points (1G / 4A) in 30 games this season.